Zong Jincheng nodded and said, "Really, I’ve promised not to lie to you anymore. Trust me, brother."
Zong Wenxiu looked at him steadily and replied seriously, "Alright, I trust you."
While waiting in the carriage, Xu Wan discussed with Cui Zhi how to warn the Eighteenth Princess. After some deliberation, the two tactful women agreed that being too direct would be unwise. Such matters could easily backfire, and blunt honesty might only bring trouble.
However, they couldn’t simply stand by and let the princess be deceived. Instead, they decided to anonymously pass the clues to the princess’s mother, Consort Jing, and let her investigate. As the princess’s biological mother, whatever results she found—good or bad—would carry more weight than anything Xu Wan, who had only met the princess twice, could do. Moreover, they wouldn’t have to worry about the aftermath; the consorts in the palace were all skilled in handling such matters.
Cui Zhi said, "But we have no way to reach Consort Jing. Would you need to make a special trip to the palace, Madam? The princess mentioned last time that it’s easier to enter her palace than the Eastern Palace."
Xu Wan shook her head. "Even if her palace is easy to enter, it’s no use. The consorts and princesses don’t live in the same place, and it would be inappropriate for me to request an audience with Consort Jing directly."
"Then what should we do…" Cui Zhi was at a loss.
Xu Wan smiled and said, "There’s another way."
"What is it?"
"The six degrees of separation."
"Ah?" Cui Zhi was baffled by the new term.
Xu Wan explained, "In this world, two strangers can be connected through no more than six people."
Cui Zhi was even more astonished. "How is that possible…"
She instinctively wanted to argue—could she really reach the emperor through just six people?
But after thinking about it carefully… it actually seemed plausible.
She might not even need all six.
………………
Xu Wan mentally mapped out her and the Eighteenth Princess’s social networks. Aside from Lady Zhai and the Duke of Jin’s household, there was one couple who seemed particularly suitable.
"The Crown Princess." "The Crown Princess!"
Xu Wan and Cui Zhi spoke the name simultaneously, though the former was calm while the latter was shocked.
Cui Zhi swallowed and said, "Madam, you’re truly brilliant. The Crown Princess can directly approach Consort Jing in the palace. You can completely bypass the princess and have the Crown Princess relay the message for us."
Xu Wan nodded in agreement. "The Crown Prince dotes on the Eighteenth Princess, and the Crown Princess is fiercely protective of him. She certainly wouldn’t stand idly by. She might not just pass on the message—she might even investigate the matter herself."
Cui Zhi added, "Now that I think about it, the Crown Princess is also closer to the princess than we are."
"Haha, of course. No matter how well we get along, it takes time to build a relationship. It’s nothing compared to the bond of family that’s been nurtured since childhood," Xu Wan acknowledged. "I’ll write a letter to the Crown Princess today and have you deliver it to the palace."
"Understood."
After settling these matters, Cui Liu came over with good news:
"Madam, great news! Both young masters performed very well in the exams. Young Master Jincheng is ranked ninth on the overall list and first in the Hanlin North Academy. Young Master Wenxiu is ranked nineteenth on the overall list and first in his academy."
Xu Wan’s eyes lit up, and she smiled. "That’s wonderful! Wenxiu has made rapid progress."
Cui Zhi chuckled. "Madam, it’s a good thing Young Master Jincheng isn’t here. If he heard you only praising Young Master Wenxiu, he’d probably puff up like a little frog again."
"Hahaha…" Xu Wan laughed heartily. "That rascal doesn’t need anyone’s praise. By now, he’s probably already strutting around with his tail in the air."
Though he kept saying he wanted to take first place and surpass Qin Ye, defeating a large number of Hanlin North Academy students was already a significant achievement.
The feeling of climbing higher and higher step by step greatly boosted one’s motivation.
Cui Liu chimed in at the right moment, "I did hear that Young Master Jincheng wants to transfer to the Child Prodigy Class to take down Qin Ye."
Xu Wan glanced at Cui Zhi and said knowingly, "See? I told you he’d get carried away."
Cui Zhi: "……"
Xu Wan checked the time. It was almost noon, and she was about to head to the Minister's Mansion when the two boys came running over, panting.
Cui Zhi lifted the carriage curtain, and the two boys climbed in.
Zong Jincheng called out to the coachman, "Let’s go, we’re going to be late."
As the carriage started moving, Xu Wan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you two coming back with me?"
Zong Jincheng crossed his arms and said smugly, "Yes, we’re both first in our academies. Don’t you want us to show off for you?"
"……" Zong Wenxiu lowered his head and covered his face.
Brother, please, stop bragging for me.
As someone who just climbed to nineteenth place, I’m really not comfortable being called first in the academy.
Xu Wan snorted. "Are you planning to cause trouble again? Let me remind you, my father, the Minister of Justice, has a terrible temper. If he gets angry and decides to punish you, he won’t care if you’re the eldest grandson."
She wasn’t exaggerating. The little troublemaker often caused chaos at home or outside, but her father, who had overseen the Ministry of Justice for years, had a face so stern it could freeze the ground. He could fly into a rage at any moment.
Zong Wenxiu, seeing his brother misunderstood, quickly explained, "No, Madam, my brother just wants to help you…"
The little troublemaker immediately covered his mouth and interrupted with a grin, "Help you show off."
Zong Wenxiu: "……"
Is this showing off ever going to end?
Xu Wan’s eyes darted between the two of them, and she noticed that Zong Jincheng’s behavior was different from his usual scheming self.
Could it be that this time, he actually had good intentions?
Zong Jincheng was quite relaxed during the journey, snacking on pastries and playing around with his brother. For once, he didn’t argue with Xu Wan.
This made her suspicious, and she decided to test him to see if there were any cracks in his facade.
"I heard you want to transfer to the Child Prodigy Class?"
Zong Jincheng turned his head sharply and nodded repeatedly. "That’s right. If Qin Ye can transfer, so can I. The Child Prodigy Class is nothing to a rare genius like me. It won’t be long before I push Qin Ye down to second place."
Xu Wan thought to herself: Good, still as blindly confident as ever.
She said, "Given your current progress, you might manage a decent ranking if you transfer to the nine-year-old class. At most, you could be in the same class as Wenxiu, but you’d probably fall far behind. As for the Child Prodigy Class, don’t even think about it for now. You wouldn’t be able to keep up."
Zong Jincheng immediately bristled. "How could I not keep up? I’m so smart and talented. Why can’t I transfer directly to the Child Prodigy Class? Why can Qin Ye do it but not me? Are you deliberately holding me back, trying to slow down my progress?"
Xu Wan said lightly, "Do you think Qin Ye was on the same ranking as you before just because that’s his actual ability?"
Zong Jincheng frowned. "What do you mean?"
Xu Wan replied, "You’re underestimating Qin Ye, little troublemaker."
"He only stayed in the same class as his peers for his brother’s sake."
